CLEARFIELD – Phil Carr, board member, expressed concerns with representation on the Clearfield Area School District’s feasibility advisory committee at Monday night’s work session.
“I think the committee was heavily biased last time,” he said, indicating it was mostly district staff and board members.
Carr said the district could be influenced for a long time by the feasibility study’s outcome. He said they need more community representatives who have backgrounds in engineering or construction.
He also pushed for positions to be available for those on the Clearfield Borough Council and the Lawrence Township Supervisors. He suggested they invite PennDOT to send a representative as well.
“I think it is a good idea,” Dave Glass, board president, said. He said they also need to be careful, as they don’t want an overly huge committee.
Carr said he believed engineering representatives would be pertinent to the committee. Glass said he (Carr) could go ahead and extend invitations to a couple locally.
Board member Susan Mikesell said they should also offer positions to the local municipalities. She said they should be advised of the time commitment required by the position, however.
“(Phil’s) right though. It was unbalanced last time. But you’ll never get the perfect mix,” Glass said.
At a November meeting, the board approved for HHSDR Architect/Engineers to perform a district-wide feasibility/facility use study as per the AIA document. Superintendent Richard C. Makin said then it would not result in additional costs but remain at an expense not to exceed $7,000.
Makin said the cost included the reimbursable expenses related to the feasibility/facility use study scope of work in the AIA document. He said the AIA document limits the scope of work to include the feasibility/facility use study.
Makin said any expansion of the scope of services would be subject to a separate contract that would be mutually agreed upon by the parties. He said the AIA document is subject to review by Solicitor Aimee Willett before final agreement between parties.
“Why would we pay for another, when (J. Greer) Hayden agreed with the result (of the previous feasibility study),” Carr asked.
Makin said that he was approaching the board about reopening the feasibility/facility use study for a second look. He said he had contacted HHSDR Architects/Engineers because of his previous working relationship with them.
At an Oct. 26 board meeting, Hayden offered his input on the district’s feasibility/facility use study.
Hayden then said although he found the study thorough, he believed the district needed a clearer direction before moving forward.
He said the current study left too many options. He, however, indicated the recommendation by the study’s advisory committee made a lot of sense.
Under the current recommendation, the middle school would close its doors. The high school would undergo an expansion to add a seventh and eighth grade wing. In addition, all of the district’s elementary schools would remain open and “unlikely” to see renovation at the present time.
Hayden said he had the opportunity to walk through the middle school. He said he noticed some of the new improvements.
He said the middle school was in poor condition and has a lot of needs. He said it would require a lot of dollars to continue sustaining the facility.
He also noted the “very poor” roof conditions at the high school. He said the access to both the school and the surrounding athletic facilities would drive some considerations.
“(I think) everyone needs to clearly understand the condition of the facilities,” he said, of the district’s school buildings.
Hayden said enrollment projections will drive the decision making process. He said enrollment is expected to drop over the next 10 years. He said the district’s enrollment history also shows a steady decline.
Hayden said the district needs to determine the appropriate proceedings for the study. In doing so, he said they must first determine the grade configuration and consider options that support the same.
He said they then need to update their facilities’ evaluation, as time has passed since the study was completed. He said they should research construction options and cost estimates.
“Lay the options out for the community. Help them understand the magnitude,” he said. “See what the community thinks.”
Hayden said once the district has committed to improvements, they need to prioritize them based on importance.
Hayden said the firm is willing to help the board move forward and reach a decision point.
“We’re looking at spending $30-40 million. We need to take every precaution,” said Makin at that meeting.
Glass then reminded the board it had been a year and was a good idea for the study to be updated.
“We’ve been collecting information for a long time. We need to move forward toward making a decision,” he said.
Makin emphasized that the board was only in the discussion phase. He also sated that they need to further engage the public.